


Episode Interludes Part Two

by dbw



Series: Secrets [3]
Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Episode Related, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-24
Updated: 2009-11-24
Packaged: 2017-10-03 16:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dbw/pseuds/dbw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to "Four Days"</p><p>The following interludes are small scenes set after episodes of The Sentinel and, as such, contain spoilers for the episodes. It is assumed that you have seen the episode before reading the story.</p><p>There will most definitely not be an interlude for each episode. In fact, some episodes may be treated as if they never happened. Remember, this is an <i>alternate universe</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Interlude: Post Neighborhood Watch

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted February-July 2002

"One thing I do know is that when you date a woman with a kid, you're not number one anymore. You're second and that's okay with me, you know? That doesn't bother me."  
_The Sentinel_

 

Megan Connor frowned at the paperwork covering her desk and sighed inaudibly. She hadn't thought it possible that there could be any place with more bureaucracy than back home, but the Yanks seemed to have done the impossible. Why the devil did she have to print out four hard copies of each report when she was also required to submit them online?

"Why the long face, Inspector?"

She glanced up at the soft question and smiled at the large man standing in front of her desk. "Just wishing I was done with the Stevens paperwork, Captain Taggert. And please, call me Megan."

"Only if you'll call me Joel. You know, it seems like every time I turn around the papers on my desk have grown another inch higher." He smiled back at her. "Stevens? Isn't that the undercover case you worked with Jim and Blair?"

Megan nodded.

His lips quirked as though he was trying not to grin. "I heard you and Jim pretended to be a, um, married couple?"

"Yes. I'd say we gave a fairly realistic performance, what with all of the bickering we did." She shot a quick glance at Ellison. He was sitting at his desk alone and seemed intent on something on his computer screen. Megan lowered her voice and looked up at Joel. "Would you mind if I ask you a question?"

He shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Is Sandy all right?" At Joel's frown, she sighed. "Sorry. That didn't come out like I meant it to. It's just, Sandy said something while we were at that house that's been bothering me."

Joel cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. "And that would be?"

Lowering her voice even further, Megan replied, "He was talking about dating Katie, the woman who turned out to be Stevens' ex-wife? He said that when you date a woman who has a child that you're second in her eyes and that that was okay with him. And maybe it's true that that's really how he feels, but I had the impression that he was talking about something or someone else."

"And you thought maybe..." He let his words trail off.

"Look, just forget I said anything," she said hurriedly. "After all, I've only been here a short while. And it's none of my business, really." She frowned.

"I can see that it really bothered you, though." Joel gazed at her thoughtfully.

She nodded. "You're right. It did. I just... You should have seen Sandy's face," she said helplessly. "It made me sad to think that he'd be willing to settle for so little, when he deserves so much more. He deserves to know what it feels like to be first in someone's heart." She glanced again at Ellison and then blushed when Taggert followed her gaze.

"Megan," Joel said softly, "it's all right. None of us really understand the two of them and what they mean to each other. Some days I'd lay even money that they're just good friends. Other days, well, I've seen the way they look at each other at times. Who knows? Heck, I don't think even Simon could say and he's closer to them than anyone. Whatever their relationship, it seems to work for them. Isn't that all that counts?"

"I suppose you're right. Doesn't keep me from being concerned about Sandy, though." She smiled slightly.

He nodded. "Blair's one of my favorite people and I'm always happy to hear that someone else is in his corner." He smiled and ambled over to his desk.

Megan reached resolutely for the Stevens' report and began to read, but her mind drifted back to her conversation with Taggert. Sandy and Ellison. Two men so different on the outside that you'd think they wouldn't be able to stand each other and yet they were closer than any friends she'd ever seen. And then there were Ellison's psychic abilities. They were a puzzle and if there was one thing she was good at, it was figuring out puzzles. She'd just have to keep an eye on them until she had her answers. She smiled and buckled down to finish her report.


	2. Interlude: Post Night Shift

"If I don't get this introductory chapter of my dissertation to my committee tomorrow, I could lose all my grants."

"I call it a violation of friendship and trust."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I've lost my objectivity. I'll tell you what; I'd rather just be friends. So why don't I go destroy my notes? How about that?"

"What good does it do for a man to have ears that will hear a thousand miles if he cannot listen to the whispers of his own heart?"  
_The Sentinel_

 

Blair stared down at the empty portfolio cover and gently traced his fingers over the title. _"The Sentinel. Genetics, Mythology and Ontology of our Tribal Protectors by Blair Sandburg."_ His eyes burned and he blinked rapidly. So close, he thought. He'd been chasing this damn dream for so long that he'd forgotten that dreams have a way of changing and becoming all twisty in the middle until you're no longer sure of just what they are or what they mean. What happens when the dreamer fails to recognize that the dream has changed?

His advisor had been furious when he'd told him that he didn't have the introduction ready. That there might not be an introduction, nor a dissertation, for that matter. He'd tap-danced as fast as he could, but the damage had been done. The committee had needed less than fifteen minutes, without him in the room, before handing down their punishment. Just as Blair had feared, all of his grants had been pulled. At least they'd left him his Fellowship. Of course, it was near the middle of the semester and getting a replacement for him would be next to impossible, so allowing him that small bone had been in their best interest. The likelihood of getting the Fellowship renewed for the next semester was slim at best.

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. It had hurt like hell to stand there and feed those carefully marked up sheets into the shredder one by one and watch the newborn confetti come out the bottom. The shredder was an expensive model the department had indulged in a few months ago, one that featured crosscutting for security purposes. Though why an Anthropology department would need to be concerned about security shredding was beyond Blair.

_"I call it a violation of friendship and trust."_

He closed his eyes against the memory of Jim saying those words. Not just saying them, but meaning them as well. Blair knew, better than anyone, that Jim had lashed out because he'd been hurt. But god damn, it'd stung to hear them. Ellison certainly knew just what to say to inflict the most damage possible with minimal effort. He ought to be required to register that mouth as a dangerous weapon.

Blair propped his elbows on his desk and dropped his head into his hands, running his fingers into his hair and pulling back slightly. Who was he kidding? Jim was right to be concerned. While he hadn't meant for anything he'd written to be hurtful or critical, if he were honest with himself he could easily see where Jim might take it that way. Blair had lost his objectivity a long time ago and on so many levels that he had no business writing his dissertation about Jim. At least he'd finally made the right decision when he'd owned up to the fact that he simply couldn't turn in what he'd written so far. Now he'd just have to live with the consequences of his delayed realization.

Which brought him full-circle back to the fact that he'd lost all of his grants and to the other subject he really hadn't wanted to think about. Those four days he'd been gone while Jim had taken the rest of his vacation at Clayton Falls. The four days that Jim was still oh-so-subtly trying to get him to talk about. That was something that just wasn't going to happen. Blair was no fool. He knew that his refusal to acknowledge Jim's overtures and start talking about what he'd been doing during that time had added to Jim's overall irritation with him. When he stopped to think about it, it was no wonder that Jim was having problems with the whole trust thing.

He sighed. At least the payment he'd received for those four days would make up for the lost grant money. He'd originally planned on donating the money, but, unfortunately, Blair had once again become his own favorite charity. And since he couldn't tell Jim about where the money came from, he also couldn't tell him that he hadn't turned in his introduction and the subsequent loss of his grants. Besides, he still planned on writing the dissertation. He couldn't abandon his dream so completely and he figured that all of their hard work should be documented, even if no one would ever read the thing but him.

He sometimes felt as if his life was just a giant cosmic crap game. A game in which the last shooter had just crapped out. Maybe he'd get lucky and the next one up would be hot. He could use a little good luck coming his way. Yeah, like maybe finding another Sentinel that he could do some quick tests on and use as the basis of his dissertation instead of Jim. His friend. He shook his head wearily and decided that it was time to pack it up and go home.


	3. Interlude: Post Sentinel Too, Part 2

"What's bugging me is, what are the chances of two Sentinels appearing in Cascade, right? At this time and falling in with you?"

"Gimme a break here. How was I supposed to know she was a criminal?"  
"Chief, this isn't about her being a criminal."

"If there is darkness, then you must face it. The darkness will flee from the light. But the light must shine from within."  
_The Sentinel_

 

Simon leaned against the wall of the San Diego Airport terminal, eschewing the hard seats in favor of the opportunity to stretch the kinks out of his back and watched the nearly silent drama that played out in front of him. Off to one side, Connor and Ellison were quietly arguing. Simon could tell it was an argument by the determination on Megan's face and the twitch in Jim's jaw. He didn't have to be a psychic to be able to guess the subject of their argument. He glanced at Blair and tried not to wince.

The kid was sitting at the end of the first row of seats facing out into the terminal. His backpack was clutched in front of him and his eyes were closed. Even though they'd just spent several days in the sun, he was far too pale for Simon's liking. He watched as Sandburg rubbed his forehead and sighed. Not for the first time he wondered just what the hell Connor had been thinking when she'd allowed Blair to leave the hospital and accompany her to Sierra Verde? With a sigh he pushed himself away from the wall and approached the younger man, dropping into the seat next to him.

Blair's eyes blinked open and he glanced at Simon. "Hey." His voice was quiet, subdued even.

Simon asked in concern, "How're you doing?"

A small grimace passed over Blair's face and then disappeared. "Been better. What time is it?"

"Little after 3:00. Our flight doesn't leave for another couple of hours. Why?"

He sighed and pulled out a bottle of water and a prescription bottle. "I'm supposed to take these every six hours. Kind of got off schedule for a while, there." He shook two white tablets out onto his palm and capped the bottle. He popped the pills into his mouth and took a mouthful of water to wash them down, then dropped both bottles back into his pack.

Simon frowned. "What are those?"

"Just some antibiotics." Blair gazed at him out of the corner of his eye. "The doc wasn't too happy with me when I left. He thought I was crazy for checking myself out of the hospital when I did. I didn't have the courage to tell him that I wasn't going ho-, um, back to the loft. I'm hoping that if I can show him I took most of these that he won't yell too much when I see him after we get back."

Simon hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Why did you check yourself out? Why come down here?"

Blair stared down at the floor and said in a low voice, devoid of emotion, "I thought Jim needed me. Guess I was wrong about that, huh?"

"Blair--"

"No, Simon. Don't. Please?" Blair refused to look away from the floor. "I screwed up big time. Then I had to go make the same mistakes, thinking I knew what was best, what Jim needed. And I was wrong." He lifted his head and laughed, a mirthless little sound that tore at Simon.

"You're not wrong, Sandburg. I think... I think Jim did need you. He does need you."

He pushed his hand through his unruly curls and shook his head slowly. "No, Simon. He doesn't. Not really. And if I hadn't been blinded by my own need, well, maybe I wouldn't have had to see..." His voice trailed off and he closed his eyes.

"See what?" Simon frowned. Just what had happened between his best detective and the observer while Simon had been elsewhere? "What is it that you saw, Sandburg?"

"Nothing important." Blair turned his gaze to him and Simon was shocked at the depth of the pain he saw in the kid's blue eyes.

"Seems like it was pretty damn important to you, Blair," Simon said softly.

He nodded once. "I guess so. But, in the big picture, you know, it really wasn't anything. I mean, the nerve gas was recovered and the, uh, the threat was eliminated. And Jim was able to handle that all by himself, you know? So, my experiences, well, they just don't really matter." He turned away and stared out into the bustling airport.

Simon shifted uneasily in his seat. Why hadn't he been aware of the undercurrents that had been happening around him in Sierra Verde? His mouth pressed into a thin line as he realized that he wasn't being completely honest with himself. He'd been aware that something was going on between Jim and Blair, but he'd attributed it to the stress of looking for Barnes. Now he suspected that it was more than that, that it was deeper and much more complex. Shit. He longed to be home and have everything back to normal. Or as normal as things could be called around the two of them.

"At least all the craziness that Jim was experiencing is over," he said, "and you two have resolved whatever the hell was going on with you."

Blair looked at him with an odd mixture of pain, sadness and anger in his eyes. "Nothing's resolved, Simon. Nothing."

"But you're going home to the loft, right?" Simon asked, his uneasiness returning.

Blair shrugged. "I guess. I mean, Jim hasn't actually come out and said anything, but I got the impression that that's what would happen." He fidgeted with the flap of his backpack. "At least I hope that's what he meant," he added softly.

Simon glanced across the terminal at his two detectives and wasn't surprised to see Ellison staring at them, or more specifically, staring at Blair. What did surprise him was the expression on Jim's face. The combination of tenderness and fear took Simon's breath. He must have realized that he was being watched, because he shifted his gaze to Simon and smiled a bit ruefully before walking slowly across the terminal to where they were seated.

Jim stopped when he was standing right in front of Blair. "Hey, Chief," he said softly. He glanced at Simon and smiled slightly. "Simon, think I could talk to my partner here for a minute?"

Simon nodded and stood up. "I think that can be arranged, Detective. Guess I'll go see what Connor's up to." He bent a piercing gaze on his friend, silently telling him in no uncertain terms that it was time for him to fix things. He was satisfied by the single nod he received in return. He placed his hand on Sandburg's shoulder and waited until he looked up. "Everything's going to be fine, Blair." He squeezed once and smiled, then dropped his hand and sauntered over to where Megan Connor still stood, watching them in bemusement.

Everything would be fine. Jim would reassure the kid and they'd be back to their old selves in no time. Whatever it was that had gone down between them over Alex Barnes was none of his business, Simon told himself firmly. He gasped as a flash of memory showed him Blair's pale face as they pulled him from the fountain. The pain he'd felt when he'd thought they'd lost him struck him again forcefully and he faltered. Then again, he thought grimly, if Ellison didn't mend his ways he might just have to have a little chat with the man. Set him straight on a few things, like the proper care and handling of a certain police observer/anthropologist. With a small smile and a renewed sense of purpose he walked over to wait with Megan.


	4. Interlude: Post Murder 101

"Just the law. That's great to hear you say that. What about what's right? How many time have I heard you say that?"

"Yet in three years, Mr. Sandburg has not officially submitted so much as a draft of his doctoral thesis."

"I must also inform you, documented proof of the extent of your absenteeism has been forwarded to my office and constitutes what we feel is a breech of your contract. Therefore, you are being dismissed permanently."  
"Fine."  
_The Sentinel_

 

Blair stared out of the truck window. The day was beautiful, sunny and inviting, a stark contrast to his own dark mood. Good thing, he thought, otherwise they'd be in for forty days of rain. He'd tried to pull himself out of his depression earlier by bantering with Jim, but that had rapidly palled. Brad Ventriss was headed for a long jail term. He should feel vindicated and relieved. So why didn't he?

Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he'd been put on probation with his Fellowship. His eyes closed to shut out the perfect day. He'd been naive to hope that he'd be welcomed back to Rainier with open arms and apologies once Ventriss had been revealed as a killer. Chancellor Edwards had made it perfectly clear that the only reason she'd agreed to him being allowed to return on probation was because of the unusual circumstances of the situation. The fact remained that she still considered his record of absenteeism to be a major concern.

_Sure_, he thought bitterly, _I arrange for my classes to be covered when I have to take time off and I'm treated like a mass murderer._ Let a real murderer and rapist come from wealth and he's treated with respect. The real world sucked big time.

And maybe, just maybe, that all wouldn't have amounted to any more than an annoyance if Jim had just shown some understanding. If he'd at least acted like he thought that what Blair was going through mattered. Instead, he'd acted like he couldn't understand why Blair thought that it was important. That was what had hurt the most.

Maybe it was time to move on. Let Jim get on with his life. It had become increasingly obvious to Blair that things were not right between them. If he had to point at when it started he'd have to say it was back when Jim took that god-awful trip to Clayton Falls. Then their relationship had taken a hit and become even more strained when Jim had read the introductory chapter of the dissertation. And he didn't even want to think about Alex.

So, maybe Jim just couldn't tell him that he needed his space. Maybe he didn't even know that that's what he needed. Blair didn't want to leave. Truthfully, he couldn't imagine living without Jim any more. What did that say about him, he wondered? When had needing to be around Jim to observe him for his dissertation turned into just needing Jim? Blair sighed softly.

"Chief," Jim said softly.

"Yeah?" Blair opened his eyes and stared out the window again, unwilling to risk looking at his partner just then.

"Look, I just wanted to say...." his voice trailed off and then he cleared his throat and said, "I wanted to apologize."

"Huh?" Blair blinked and turned to look at Jim. "For what, man?"

Jim glanced at him quickly and then looked back out at the traffic. "For my attitude during this whole mess with Ventriss. I'm sorry that I acted like what you do at the University isn't important. I said some things that I wish I could take back and I wasn't there for you when you needed me to be." He gave a small half-shrug.

Blair's mouth dropped open. An apology was the last thing he'd expected. In a low voice he said, "Thanks, man. You can't know what that means to me."

Jim gazed at him, a half-smile on his face. "I just wanted you to know. It isn't always easy for me, but I'm trying, Chief."

Blair swallowed and nodded, acknowledging the unspoken reference to Jim's refusal to communicate during the situation with Alex. Maybe things weren't as hopeless as he'd been thinking. They still had a long way to go, but now he knew that Jim was willing to make the effort. It wasn't everything, but it was enough for now.


	5. Interlude: Post Four Point Shot

"You think cops are always, you know, scared when they go out in action?"  
"The smart ones are."

"You hand's shakin'. Man, I thought you'd be used to this kind of stuff by now."

"It works for my dad. I mean, it's not just his job. It's his way of making the world a better place. And he cares a lot for people. I think that's tight."  
"I think you should tell him that."  
"I think he should listen."  
_The Sentinel_

 

At the sound of a knock on his office door, Blair dropped his pen and looked up. "Come on in," he called. His eyebrows rose in disbelief as Simon Banks opened the door and stepped inside.

The Captain of Major Crimes stood just inside the doorway, fidgeting nervously. He glanced around the office, frank curiosity on his face. Blair blinked, trying to convince himself that Simon was really standing there. The man had never been to his office before, at least not while he was alive, Blair thought sardonically. When it became obvious that Simon wasn't going to say anything, he shook his head.

"Something I can do for you, Simon?" he asked softly. "Would you like to sit down?" He stood up, walked around his desk and cleared the stack of books off the seat of his visitor's chair.

The big man sighed and met his gaze. "Yeah. Thanks." He sat gingerly in the chair, looking as if it were the last place he wanted to be.

Blair leaned back against his desk and frowned. What was Simon doing there? After all, in the nearly three years that he'd known the man he'd never visited him at Rainier. A cold band of steel tightened around Blair's heart as he leapt to the only conclusion to which he could logically come. He stood straight, his body thrumming with tension.

"Simon? Something's happened to J-Jim, h-hasn't it?" he stuttered fearfully. "How badly was he hur--"

"No!" Simon cut him off with an emphatic denial. "Jim's fine, Blair. There's nothing wrong with him."

"Okay. That's good."_ Blair?_ Since when did Simon call him _Blair,_ he wondered? He took a deep breath and relaxed back against his desk. "So, Simon. Not to be rude, man, but what are you doing here?"

Simon cleared his throat. "I suppose I deserve that. I guess it is kind of a shock, huh?" A corner of his mouth turned up in a rueful half smile. "I'm sorry about that, kid."

Blair made a dismissing gesture with his hand. "No, man, that's all right. I mean, you never really had a reason for coming over here." Which left open the unanswered question of just why he was there now.

"Uh-huh," he said, a dubious note in his voice, then he rubbed a hand over his chin and smiled. "I guess I should get to the reason why I'm here. I have something to say to you and I didn't want to do this at the station or the loft."

Blair's eyes widened. Simon's voice was calm, but the words sure sounded ominous. He'd already jumped to one horrible conclusion; he wasn't going to do it again. Gesturing for him to continue, he forced himself to remain calm.

"Like I said, I've got something to say to you." Simon glanced at the floor and then raised his eyes to meet Blair's gaze. "I wanted to thank you."

Whatever he'd thought he was going to hear, it wasn't that. "Uh, you're welcome, man, but I gotta ask -- for what?"

"For talking to Daryl."

"Oh." Blair frowned. "I think you're here under false pretenses, Simon. I didn't really say much to Daryl." He was surprised when Simon chuckled softly.

"You really don't know, do you?" At Blair's confused shake of his head, he said, "He told me what you said to him while the two of you were in my office during the cleanup of the mess with Kincaid. That if he really meant it about going to the Academy that he ought to investigate his options as seriously as he had when he investigated colleges to apply to. I don't know how you got through to him, but he said he went home and kept thinking about that."

"Well, that's good. I'm glad to hear it." Blair was still a bit bewildered.

Simon nodded. "I was too. Especially when he came to me and told me that he still wanted to go to the Academy, but only _after_ he'd gotten his bachelor's. Seems that after he looked into it some more he realized that he'd have more opportunities with a college degree, not to mention that the starting pay would be better."

Blair smiled. "That's great, Simon. I'm sure you're very relieved. So, he's going to Duke on that scholarship after all?"

"Maybe. Only if he doesn't get a scholarship from his first choice."

"What's his first choice?"

"Rainier."

"Really? That would be so cool. When is he supposed to hear back from Admissions?"

"Sometime in the next few weeks." Simon rose from his seat and stared down at Blair with an odd expression in his eyes. "There's something else I wanted to thank you for," he said softly.

"What's that?"

"For telling him that he should let me know how he really feels about me and my job. It hasn't always been easy between Daryl and me and he's experienced some pretty bad stuff because of my job. You'll never know just what it meant to me to have him tell me how proud he is of me and what I do."

Blair swallowed heavily. "He's a great kid, Simon. He'd have found his way to this place without my having said anything, but I'm glad he took my advice on that. You deserved to hear it from him."

Simon placed a hand on Blair's shoulder and squeezed once before turning to the door. As he placed his hand on the knob he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. In mock severity he said, "Of course, if I hear you repeating this conversation to anyone--"

"Yeah, yeah," Blair interrupted. "You'll deny it ever happened."

"Damn right." He smiled slightly. "See you at the station, Sandburg."

Blair nodded. "That you will, Captain."

He watched the big man close the door behind him and waited several moments before pushing himself off his desk. He still had those papers to grade. As he picked up his pen his thoughts returned to the conversation he'd just had. He hadn't really thought anything of what he'd said to Daryl. He'd just been concerned that the young man was making decisions about his future without knowing all of the facts. From what he'd observed it seemed almost inevitable to him that Daryl would wind up in law enforcement in some capacity.

The trick, he thought ruefully, was making it be your choice instead of allowing yourself to get caught up in something that would end up dragging you along whether you wanted to go or not. He sighed and forced himself to concentrate on the papers in front of him.


End file.
